Social Influence - 03 (2-Situaltional variables)

Question 1

What are the 3 situational variables in Milgram’s experiment?

Answer 1

Proximity
Location
Uniform

Question 2

What is proximity?

Answer 2

The physical closeness or distance of an authority figure to the person they are giving the order to.

Question 3

What is location?

Answer 3

The place that the order is issued

Question 4

What is uniform?

Answer 4

What they are wearing and if that conveys a signal of authority

Question 5

What happened when the location moved from Yale to a seedy office in town and why?

Answer 5

Obedience rate lowered to 47.5%

Yale university is very prestigious and highly respected so the people working there have high legitimacy of authority. The office has no significance to the p’s and it not well known or respected so there is no legitimate authority

Question 6

What happened when the teacher and learner were in the same room and why?

Answer 6

Obedience rate lowered to 40%

The p’s could actually see how the shocks were affecting the learner and so are more likely to feel guilt and not want to carry on administering the shocks

Question 7

What happened when the teacher had to force the learner’s hand onto a shock plate and why?

Answer 7

Obedience rate lowered to 30%

The p’s feel even more guilt as they were physically having to move the learner and make them receive the shock making them feel fully responsible

Question 8

When happened when the experimenter left the room and gave instructions via telephone and why?

Answer 8

Obedience rate lowered to 20.5%

The p’s do not have any symbol of authority in front of them so they do not feel as much pressure to shock the learner

Question 9

What happened when the experimenter was replaced with a member of the public in ordinary clothes and why?

Answer 9

Obedience rate lowered to 20%

The member of the public has no legitimacy pf authority unlike the experimenter who had a lab coat so the p’s are less likely to follow their instructions

Question 10

Who provided supporting evidence for the power of uniform?

Answer 10

Bickman

Question 11

What 3 uniforms did the experimenter wear in the uniform study?

Answer 11

Milkman
Guard
Civilian

Question 12

What were the 3 orders given in the uniform study?

Answer 12

“pick up this bag for me”

“this man is overparked on the meter but doesn’t have any change, give him a dime”

“don’t you know you have to stand on the other side of the pole”

Question 13

What were the results of the uniform study?

Answer 13

people 2-3 times more likely to obey the guard rather than the civilian

In the parking meter condition 89% obeyed the guard, 57% the milkman and 33% for the civilian

Question 14

What do the results of the uniform suggest about obedience?

Answer 14

Dress alone can suggest authority and if people think someone has authority to punish them they are more likely to obey

Question 15

Evaluation of situational variables-strength
(high levels of control)

Answer 15

-high levels of control in the research into situational variables
-Milgram systematically altered one variable at a time to test effect on obedience
-All other variables kept constant
-Gave more certainty leading to cause and effect

Question 16

Evaluation of situational variables-weakness
(lack of internal validity)

Answer 16

-Orne & Holland argued that p’s worked out it was fake
-This is even more likely in the variations because of extra manipulation
-unclear whether results are genuinely due to obedience or demand characteristics

Question 17

Evaluation of situational variables-weakness
(obedience alibi)

Answer 17

-Milgram’s findings support situational factors
-But this has been criticised by Mandel who argues that it offers an excuse or alibi for evil behaviour
-in his view it is offensive to survivors of the Holocaust to suggest that the Nazi’s were simply obeying orders and were victims themselves of situational factors beyond their control
-so we need to be careful when completely removing personal responsibility and blaming it on the situation
-means the research is socially sensitive